Friday, September 2, 2016

Get Your Rear in Gear 5K recap

When I set a goal at the start of the year to do one race a month, I was really worried about August. It's usually a really hot month, and my calendar always seems to fill up during those few weeks as well. I wasn't sure I'd find the time or will to do a race in August. I almost didn't. But I just kept thinking about it, and I looked at a race calendar for this weekend and found three options so I chose one and signed up. And I'm really glad I did.

Waking up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday isn't my favorite thing, but in August, a 7:30 start time for a race is a good idea. Even though we've had a mild summer, I was still glad for the early race. It was humid but in the 60s --- pretty decent running conditions.

The race supported colon cancer awareness, and for the first quarter of a mile, there were photos and names of people who had battled the disease -- some local, some not. I mean, Vince Lombardi was the first name and face (Go Pack Go). What I noticed among the names and faces is that many of those who lost their battle very young. there were at least three or four who weren't even 30. And a few more in their 30s. Such a shame.

Given my lack of training lately, I decided not to set a time goal. I was aiming only to finish and -- ideally -- run the whole thing. Check and check. I did it.